1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for desensitizing high energetic materials particularly those susceptible to accidental explosions due to mechanical shock and the desensitized energetic materials produced thereby.
2. The Prior Art
Solid energetic materials find wide use as, e.g. fuel or as propellants for air and space craft or as explosives with war and peace uses. These materials can of course be dangerous to transport and store and ways must be found for making such materials less susceptible to accidental explosions due to mechanical shock. That is, it would be highly useful to enhance the safety of, e.g. conventional explosives and rocket propellants.
It has been reported in the prior art that a specific energetic material, fluorine azide, FN.sub.3, explodes spontaneously when cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature, i.e. 77 K. A similar result occurred with chlorine azide, ClN.sub.3. That is, the above azides are examples of energetic materials which spontaneously detonate if cooled to 77 K (-321.degree. F.) without undergoing mechanical shock. Attempts have been made in the prior art to desensitize energetic materials to reduce accidental explosions induced by mechanical shock. See for examples U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,728 to Chan et al (1991), U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,949 to Mishra et al (1989) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,714 to Abegg et al (1986). These references teach dissolving or dispersing energetic materials in a binder or fuel continuum matrix resulting in a solid composite of reduced sensitivity to mechanical shock but also of reduced power due to the dilutive nature of the matrix employed.
Accordingly there is a need and market for an approach which results in desensitized energetic materials while minimizing the impairment of power thereof caused by the less active filler material or matrix.
There has now been discovered a method for desensitizing energetic materials relative to explosion due to mechanical shock or even to application of heat by, e.g. certain laser beams, without greatly impairing, diluting or diminishing the power thereof, e.g. by dispersing or embedding such energetic materials in a lower energy matrix.